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Khoni-Martvili Bridge Blocked after Flood

October 29, 2010
Marika Vacharadze, Khoni

Several days ago, heavy rain flooded about ten families in the village of Matkhoji in Khoni district. The plots were flooded on the river bank too. Although the population had already harvested everything, the flooded River Tskhenistskali took away 20 meters of the land; flooded central road and cars could not move for several hours.

“The flooded river seriously damaged the village. The mill was waterlogged. The water reached central road. If we had not stopped the water with our own sources, the water could have destroyed the asphalt too. We reinforced the river-bank as we could – we brought blocks and put them here. The water destroyed and took old dike. If the river floods again, it will flow into our basements because the old dike, which blocked the water in the past, does not exist now,” said resident of Matkhoji village Demur Kanjaridze.

“After one more heavy rain, the river will flow over its bed. The water has taken away the bank alongside the village. Yesterday, three cows fell into it and locals hardly pulled them out of the river. The river takes land every day because it is very soft. The bank shall be reinforced or in winter the water will take it away during every rain,” said Leila Kukhalashvili.

The village governor also thinks that reinforcement activities shall start immediately but the local budget does not have enough funds.

Shalva Khvingia, governor of the village Matkhoji: “In fact, the river has changed its bed and moved towards the village. The river flooded in Pirtskhalava settlement where the village has a mill and created danger of the central road and population. We took measures and constructed two temporary dams. However, the bank-reinforcement activities shall start immediately in order to avoid incidents in future.”

In 2005, the flooded river destroyed the dams of the Khoni-Martvili linking bridge. The road department together with the local authority decided to close the bridge.

Zurab Jibukhaia, Khoni district governor: “There is a main building of the melioration system at the Martvili-Khoni linking bridge. Khoni-Samtredia irrigation water flows from it. Tskhenistskali River is linked to this channel. The melioration system is damaged and closing of the so-called shields might destroy the entire land. The water coming from these channels falls against the dams. Only 30 % is remained from one of the dams; other 70% was taken by the river. During the water flood the bridge could have been destroyed. The water level exceeded the limit so the road department decided to lock it.”

At the moment, cars move along Khoni-Lekhindrao-Martvili round-road which lengthens the road for the residents of several villages in Martvili district by several kilometers.

Deputy Chairman of the road department Guram Vakhtangashvili arrived in Khoni to study the situation. He could not see the dam properly because the water level was high and visibility was very poor.

Specialists say that reinforcement of the river dam should start soon after the water-level lowers because in spring the rivers get waterfull and it will be impossible to carry out construction activities in it. Local authority thinks the bridge cannot be locked for several months because in winter it will be impossible to drive by round-roads towards Martvili.

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